Mercenary
by Leoanda Taylor
Summary: .::AU::. The year is 3523. Earth hold colonies in outerspace and the world itself has been split into two societies: The Lower Elements and the Higher Elements. Li Syaoran is a Mercenary for the SMPF. His dream is to walk above the Earth's ground. R&R!
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** I DO NOT OWN CARDCAPTRO SAKURA OR ANY OF IT'S CHARACTERS

**Mercenary  
**by Leoanda Taylor

**Prologue**

Running was no good. The brunette boy wirled around, sword at the ready. Holding a defensive position, he quickly swirved as a frontal attack was aimed at his heart. Moving his weapon in a sharp arc, he slashed his enemys left-side, getting a scream from his opponent. Moving to face the way he came, he scowled as two more of his attackers came in for side and leg thrusts. He expertly dodged them, and sliced one from stomach to heart, while the other got his own sword run through his stomach.

Syaoran turned and ran the way he was going. Running through the corridors, he checked each door, until he came to one in particular. On the door was a thin slot, looking through it he saw a young girl curled up in a corner, her short brown hair fell down to her shoulders, held up with two pink pig-tail bands.

"Sakura? I'm so glad that your alive!" Syaoran looked happily at the suprised girl. Slicing open the door, he grabbed her hand and whisked her out of the cells that were buried deep beneath the city. Running past the already sliced-and-diced men that he had to go through, he made his way - left arm still holding the girl - back the way he came.

Coming out of the entrance-way, Syaoran stopped, letting the young girl catch her breath. He stood against a wall watching her movements. She was a pretty girl of his age - fourteen - with light brown hair and large green eyes. Her figure was covered in a pastel pink body-hugging t-shirt, and black pants, with jet black trainners.

"You O.K.?" He finally asked. She looked up at him and smiled.

"Fine. Thanks to you. Who are you anyway?" Her voice was smooth and joyful.

"Syaoran," he said, never taking his eyes off her.

She smiled at him bowing a little. "I'm Sakura, as you somehow know. Why did you rescue me?" She watched him as he turned his back on her, and started walking away.

"I needed the money. C'mon, I have to get you back to your superiors." He spoke calmly, and a small smile was on his face.

"Mother and father sent you to get me, for money?" she asked catching up and glancing at him.

"Yea. Dont worry. Even if I'd said no, there's loads of guys, back were you came from, that wanted the job." He glanced at her, seeing a saddened look. "Whats wrong?"

"Nothing." They walked on in silence for a few mintues. Syaoran knew that this strange girl kept glancing at him. But he was used to it.

"May I ask you a question?" Sakura asked, almost timidly.

"Sure." Syaoran smiled a little again.

"Did they...Did they ask you, because... ..." she broke off, unable to say it.

"Because I'm from the lower elements of the city?" he asked, turning slightly to look at her. She nodded. "Yeah. And, in a way, I agree. I mean, theres nothing worth living for down here, anymore."

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**A/N:** This is only the beginning, and I know I have other fics to finish, but I found this along with 'Heritage' (my TeenTitens fic) that I wrote years ago. I wanted to see how it is. Flames are welcome, and pleanty of reviews are appreciated. Thankyou!


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I DO NOT OWN CARDCAPTOR SAKURA NOR ANY OF IT'S CHARACTERS

**Review Reply's:**

**leaf-blossom: **Thankyou!!! I'm glad that you think it's interesting. It's kinda weird once you look into the story-line though. Lol! Once again, thankyou!

**MoshiMoshiQueen:** Well this ideas been here ages! I'm glad that your liking it though. Thankyou!!!

**Mercenary  
**by Leoanda Taylor

**Chapter 1**

Year 3523. The world has been split into two elements: (i) the Higher Elements, that thrive on money and seem to be the only ones eligable to make decisions that could effect everything in existance. They live most above groung on is flying cities and fortresses; and (ii) the Lower Elements. These people lived mostly underground where a whole new world thrived on lots of hard work and little money.

Space colonies had been set up on other worlds and moons, but the Lower Elements were lucky to get passport above ground, let alone permission to leave the planet. It was not uncommon for smuggler groups to begin transporting people of the Lower Elements illegally to other planets for large sums of money - and this only occurred rarely.

Most of the Lower Elements had begun large merchant sevices, or mines that would produce a new rock in factories that could sustain a whole coloney in space. It was a very precious alloy that was only distributed to those who owned the factories - and the workers (pratically salves) within. Other groups contained mercenary workers, who basically worked as the police force - both above and underground. Only the Special Mercenary Police Forces(SMPF) were allowed to roam as they please, so naturally when young seven year old Li Syaoran heard about them, some years before, he wanted to become on so that he could gain a better chance at life - not only for himself but his family also.

Underground, was a worst-case-scenario, and quite a number of experimentations took place in certain, darker regions, as well as a number of criminals within the mines. Luckily, young Syaoran's family had managed to stay as factory workers, where they were provided a basic living, and a chance to rise in the Levels System.

The Levels System (simply known as the System) was a chart that held where every person was in society. If you were, say, a bottom Lower Element Level 30D then you were little more than a murderous criminal who was allowed to be experimented on with out permission. But if you were a Lower Elements Level 1, you could gain a passport to the sevice, and with credibiltity, be able to move yourself up a level to Higher Elements Level 30, which was the lowest level above ground, but more likely to be a factory worker none-the-less. On the other hand, if you were the highest level - Higher Element Level 1 - then, you were most likely to be one of the rulers in the Glaxay Confederation Parliament(GCP).

Syaoran was a Lower Elements Level 13, which basically meant that he was working for the SMPF, but only a novice. He was, however, allowed to do solo missions provided that he did a full report. Syaoran felt that he was well on his way to completing his own personal mission.

Sakura followed Syaoran through the streets, to where the ship Atlanta had stayed the whole time she was missing. She couldn't stop herself from glancing at the guy. His emotional and bright amber eyes; messy, dark brown hair, that fell attractively over his eyes; and his mouth was set in a thinker's thoughtful way. She blushed slightly when she caught herself staring at him, looking down at her feet.

Stopping outside the ship, Syaoran looked once at the green-eyed girl, before entering the large corridor leading to Atlanta's current Commanders. Knocking once, the young boy entered.

"I got what you wanted. Can I have my money now?" he asked, as soon as the young girl had closed the door behind her.

"Sakura!" The woman commander, Kinomoto Nadeshiko, threw her arms around her daughters neck, hugging her tight. Sakura retured the hug, eyes tightly shut. Kinomoto Fujitaka gripped the girls shoulder lightly, before throwing a brown bag of coins onto the table in front of Leo. He picked the bag up, and placed it in his plain brown pack.

"We thank you, boy. You deserve every penny of that gold," Fujitaka smiled at the boy. Syaoran stared blankly back at him, before nodding once, and exiting the room. Just before the door closed behind him, the three heard a muttered, "As if you care" before the door completely shut.

Nadeshiko sat in her position next to Sakura, with a saddened look for a moment, before once again embracing her returned child with a smile. Sakura had an equally happy look, while Fujitaka frowned thoughtfully, then also embracing his daughter happily.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Outside, the young boy walked the way he came, adjusting his sword a little on his back, and out of the ship never glancing back once. Sullenly, he sighed, eyes growing a little dimmer.

Running out of the ship's entrance a few moments later, Sakura threw her arms around the waist of the the slightly shocked brunette boy.

"Thankyou! Thats all I want to say, Syaoran. Thankyou. For everything you've done for me and my family." Turning around - Sakura arms still wrapped around his waist - he pulled her chin up to face him. She was crying happily. He smiled slighty, wiping tears away for her.

"I do this for money, and a chance at a better life. I don't need help, and I don't want any thanks. And thats the way it should be." He smiled at her confused face. Leaning down slightly, his lips softly brushed over hers, making her eyes widen.

Breaking the kiss, he smiled before turning around, and releasing himself from her now weak grasp. He walked on, never looking back at her. The young girl fell to her knee's, her fingers tounching her lips, where his had been moments ago.

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**A/N:** Thankyou to my reviewers once more. I hope your enjoying this particular fic. So, what do ya think? Please review!!!! Thankyou.


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I DO NOT OWN CARDCAPTOR SAKURA NOR ANY OF IT'S CHARACTERS

**Reviewer Reply's:**

**leaf-blossom:** Thankyou! I'm glad that you think it's cute. It's quite a serious fic, so, thankyou!!!!

**Marcenary  
**By Leoanda Taylor

**Chapter 2**

Syaoran found himself, yet again, brooding on the fogotten past. All memories were wiped that fateful day. All except his. He was afterall, The Legandary Lone Wolf. But his past was just a fairy tale story to everyone else. No one remembered the dark times when man and machine had to join as one to create monsters and beings, just to replace miners as free-labour. Those things were only created in the darkest depths of the Lower Elements, and when criminals weren'r used, kidnapped people were.

Syaoran had been one of those unlucky people. The experiments had all failed, but a lot of damage had been caused to his internal system, and on the occasion, he had gone _berserk_ - as it was more commonly known. He had been nick-named Lone Wolf when he had destroyed a whole experimental base, leaving nothing but claw markings.

The six year old boy's last stike's against the building had resulted in wiping the memory of what had happened to those very few survivors - who could only swear that a wolf of somesort was underground. Syaoran had destroyed the remaining parts of labratory, and had forever hidden his beserker ability, and any of the memories that came with it - usually through nightmares. Only he could stumble across the location of the lab's base, Delta - for he kept the location hidden in secret behind a cargo of the ship Adhuty, which Syaoran had taken when he had realised what had happened after his last 'attack'. He had named the ship as his own since no one was there to claim it.

Now after almost eight years, Syaoran was fourteen and looking to keep his Ship in good condition, as well as to feed himself, and develop chances to get him into Higher Levels. He had bought a weapon that suited him, and had promised himself that he would never take an innocent life. A promise he had always kept.

"Syaoran? Are you alright?" Li Yelan, his ever graceful mother - who worked along with his sisters in the factory near the mines - asked sitting down in a seat next to him.

"I'm fine Okaa-san. Just thinking about the past. Again," he replied glumly. Yelan sighed. This was starting to happen more often than when they had agreed to try to forget and live a more normal life. It seemed that her son was more entraped with the past than she had thought.

"Don't brood on the past, Little Wolf," she advised him, placing her hand on his shoulder in a motherly way. In actual fact, she didn't look or sound old enough to _be_ his mother, dispite the new wrikles that were begining to wear at her features. He smiled in return, nodding his head in silent agreement.

"I saw a young Higher Elements girl today, you know. She looks... well... different, I guess," Syaoran spoke. His head was bowed, and his brown hair covered his eyes, as he lay his head onto his crossed arms, tired from the days events.

"A Higher Elements girl? Down here?" Yelan asked shocked. They hadn't seen any of the above-landers in such along time. Syaoran nodded wiping his eyes on his sleeve, trying to stay awake.

"And her parents were there too. They have a trading ship, the Atlanta. They hired me to get Sakura - their daughter - for them. She's been taken by some idiots who were proberly planning on selling her into the slave trade, or something. But we weren't about to let that happen with the amount of money offered." The tall, black-haired woman slowly nodded. Placing an arm around her young son's shoulders, she hugged the now rapidly drifting-into-sleep, Syaoran.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"So, tell me, Sakura? Where were you being kept?" Fujitaka asked gently. The three of them - Fujitaka, Nadeshiko and Sakura - sat in the Commanders Office discussing the recent events.

"In the underground cells. Didn't you know I was there?" She asked taken aback slightly.

"No. That was the proberly the young man's idea to check there. I mean, no one's used them for years, as far as I know" he answered shaking his head slightly.

"Did you get his name, dear?" Nadeshiko questioned. Those eyes were very different from what she had thought a Lower Elements child would look like. They were very deep, and interllectual.

"No. Unfortunatly," Fujitaka said, stroking his chin thourghtfully.

"His name was... Syaoran. At least, that's what I think he said his name was," Sakura smiled, going red. She wanted to see him again. Even before the kiss, she thought that he was special in someway. And after it... she blushed at the memory. She had remained on her knees for almost ten more minutes staring at where he had been, before moving back into the ship.

"Don't get attached. We dont know his nature yet, or his background. And from what we know of him, he's a Lower Element who knows how to use that sword," her father said, making the poor girl blush harder, nodding along.

"Well, I think that he would make the perfect body-guard for Sakura, provided that his past chacks out clean. Why don't we find him, and see if he wants a job here on Atlanta? I mean, he's proberly looking for a well paid job, and with his skills we could put him to good use," Nadeshiko reasoned. Fujitaka nodded his agreement - although not truely liking the idea - while Sakura smiled warmly, nodding again.

"First, though, we have to get this cargo to it's needed location," Fujitaka stated.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Yelan had finally got her doting son to sleep, when the door to their humble house was knocked on. Taking a short glance at her sleeping son on the couch, she answerd the door silently, with careful grace.

"Yes? Can I help you?" Yelan asked sternly. In the short time she'd lived here, in this particular district, she had learnt about every little detail on security for her family's sake, and she was not about to go through hell and back due to the lack of it. Again.

"Hello. Is there a Syaoran here? From the SMPF?" A man with short brown hair, and thin glasses over warm brown eyes, asked..

"He's sleeping at the moment. Can I take a message?" She answered, scowling at the man.

"When he wakes up, tell him that Commander Kinomoto Fujikata would wish to have a talk with him, in their office." The man bowed, then turned and walked away after his sentance had been said.

Frowning, Yelan locked the door behind her, and watched her beautiful child sleep, before she went to the homes security system before leaving for work - it was only her dinner break afterall.

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**A/N:** Thankyou to my reviewers, and I hope you all enjoyed the read! Please review! Thankyou!


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I DO NOT OWN CARDCAPTOR SAKURA NOR ANY OF IT'S CHARACTERS

"blah blah blah" speach  
//_blah blah blah_// thoughts  
- - - - - - - - - - scene change

**Mercenary  
**By Leoanda Taylor

**Chapter 3**

Slash at the left. Dodge. Slice downwards-right. Bring up sword and block. Stab stomach. Slice off right arm. Swing sword with wrist and dice of the head. Rolling to the left, Syaoran brought his sword up to block his second opponant, before removing the left arm, and slicing at the legs. Spinning on one heel, the brunette swung up to clash swords with a third opponant, and stepping around each other, both weapons clashed in a deadly dance.

Blood was beginning to pool at their feet from the previous enemies, and Syaoran only had to finish off this one before his work was done. Ducking under the mans sword, Syaoran thrust his weapon through the guys gut, sliding the reddened blade upwards and through the skull. Pushing the now dead man off of his sword, Syaoran surveyed the area.

Eight bodies layed dead or dying on the ground, and the damp, dim air was stale with blood and dirty moist. Pained moans lifted into the silence every now and then, but that was the only thing that broke the silence. Wiping his left cheek with his arm, Syaoran inadvertedly smudged blood across his face. He was wearing a black shirt, with matching combats, and both were splattered with drying blood here and there, and his black boots were stained.

Running a hand through his hair lightly, he heaved a sigh and sheathed his blade, before setting about collecting the bodies and shifting them onto the hover-cart that was located near-by. _Mercenary work is not how it used to be_, Syaoran thought to himself as he continued the hard labour.

In the past the SMPF used to just be a police force that kept everyone underground in control. Now though, money was the main object, and as long as a 'client' was willing to pay, the Mercenaries - as they were nicknamed - had to do a lot of dirty work, provided it lay in with the laws anyway.

Although one of the younger recruits, Syaoran was also one of the more experienced ones with his darker past and athletic abilities - not to mention a quick mind - that made him one of the most wanted workers. It also helped that he never complained out loud about the work, unless innocents were involved.

This was his last job for the day, and the pay was really good, just for a bunch of drug smugglers. Drugs were outlawed, yet they were the biggest illegal industry - and one of the hardest - to capture. It didn't help that a new substance named 'Kilot' had been developed. It held the ability to give the user two days endurace with no sleep or nurishment of any sort, and super strengh. This is the stock that Syaoran now found in a small carboard box of the leader - or so Syaoran assumed he'd been the leader.

After he'd signed this into head-quaters, and gotten the reward, Syaoran was going to check out a job for that weird above-ground family. He shook his head in confusion. They really were one weird family - although, he _did_ like that girl. She was pretty, and nice to-boot.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The Kinomoto's were still at the alloctaed spot, and Fujitaka was more than happy to welcome Syaoran into his 'office'. Sitting down himself, Fujitaka motioned for the brunette boy to sit - who in turn politely refused, preferring to stand. Shrugging this this, Fujikata looked at Syaoran in the way he would any adult, and went strait to the point.

"I would like you to come work for me and my family. It will be more of a guardian's job rather than anything else, but there will be a lot of work that you can do," the man smiled kindly as he spoke.

Syaoran blinked, and saluting proudly answered. "My apologies, sir. But my place is here. Underground, in the Lower Elements with my family."

Fujitaka nodded lightly, a sad smile now gracing his features, as the small light bounced of his thin frames. "I'm sorry to hear that. If you change your mind, we should be here for another month - with dealings with other cargobays. You can get in touch with us at any point. But thank you."

Saluting, Syaoran walked out, the proposition still spinning in his mind - an a pair of green eyes that he hadn't been able to see again. //_Think about the proposition for your family, Li. Not that girl._// he thought, shaking his head.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Damn it!" Syaoran cursed slamming his fist into his work locker.

He had just been called back into the SMPF with an hour long lecture. The men he had caught - although holding the right drugs - were not the ones he had been paid for. And that did not go down well with his boss, Mizuki Kaho. Although she could be kind, her bad side was not to be trifled with.

His head following his fist, Syaoran leant against the metal lockers, growling in the back of his throat. "We'll get them next time, Little Wolf," a smarmy voice came from beside him. Looking up, Syaoran glared into the eyes of Hiiragizawa Eriol - a fellow mercenary, and almost rival for the top position - who was inwardly laughing at him.

"What do you mean, 'we'? There's no 'we' between us, Hiiragizawa. And don't call me Little Wolf!" Syaoran ground out. He continued to glare at the other teen - who was only a year older than him - as he pushed himself off of the lockers, and sat down on one of the benches that seperated the room.

"I mean 'we' as in 'us'. As in 'we' have been put onto the same assignment of catching that drug-dealer," Eriol replied. He leant back against Syaoran's locker, arms crossed as he surveyed the younger teen. "You do know that he and his 'group' are creating and selling Kilot, don't you?"

"Of course I do! And I tracked him down to the warehouse where I was yesterday... He just wasn't there!" Syaoran fumed. He knew that those idiots he had fought the other day _were_ of the dealers group - he just hadn't been there himself. //_And now I'm stuck with this moron untill he's caught!_// He groaned in annoyance, and Eriol's only reply was to lift his left eyebrow and smirk.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Usually, Syaoran would snatch odd glances at Eriol - to make sure that the dark haired teen wasn't up to anything suspicious - but right now the offer Kinomoto-san had given him seemed _very_ tempting. Yet, Eriol thought that Syaoran was just plain ignoring him. So an eerie silence took over the two as they procceded to the warehouse for a complete inspection.

The warehouse itself was a point of interest. The dark and demeaning walls that encompassed the place stood high, and crumbling. Old, rusty beams held up the roof, and pieces of rubble littered the area, along with dark patches of dried blood from previous occasions.

There were no houses of current origin, and other warehouses which were in much the same shape – tall, looming, dark buildings that were long abandoned – let only small and narrow pathways filter through. The gaps let little light through, although this posed no problems for the young duo, as they had always lived in the dank darkness.

Coming towards the metal door, which hung uselessly on its rusted hinges, Syaoran silently dashed to one side of the doorway, and Eriol the other – both holding their weapons at the ready. Eriol's sword hung loosly at his side, while his silver gun was presently held fast in his hand.

Syaoran too, had opted to use a gun over his sword at this point – as it held a much better range, and was better adequate to this particular part of the mission – and his initial weapon hung across his back.

A small scuffling of tiny feet came into hearing range for a few moments, and a slight sound of rustling cloth caused a tense atmosphere.

Nodding, Syaoran and Eriol proceeded to swiftly enter the warehouse, guns pointed at the ready.

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**A/N:** Okay, so Syaoran is 14 (as is Sakura), and Eriol is newly 15. I hope you all enjoyed the read! Do you see that little button, down there? The one that says 'go'? Yes? You do? Please click it. Thank you!


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